"99.97 percent of the kids live in poverty that attend Cleveland public schools."

- State Rep. Sandra Williams

It is an unfortunate but well known fact that the city of Cleveland owns one of the highest poverty rates for any big city in the United States. At 34 percent, Cleveland is the third poorest for cities with a population of at least 200,000 people, behind Detroit and San Bernardino, Calif., according to 2010 U.S. Census data. And about 53 percent of all people under 18 in Cleveland live in poverty.

Still, a recent comment by state Rep. Sandra Williams, a Cleveland Democrat who represents one of the poorest areas of the city, was startling.

During a news conference at the Statehouse on March 21 to express support for legislation that would revamp how the Cleveland Metropolitan School District operates, Williams rattled off a list of disturbing traits for students studying in schools with subpar academic performance. She also noted poverty as a factor.

"So, the fact is, 31,000 kids in failing schools, 99.97 percent of the kids live in poverty that attend Cleveland public schools," Williams said. "The district is majority African-American. And the 11th House district that includes most of the Cleveland public school system is the poorest district in the state of Ohio."

PolitiFact Ohio thought that the claim that essentially every student who attends a Cleveland public school lives in poverty was worth a check. You can see the full story there. Then come back here to comment.

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